SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, last year’s Satellite Executive of the Year, speaks exclusively with Via Satellite about SATELLITE 2019 and major industry trends.
VIA SATELLITE: Are we at an inflection point for the industry?
Shotwell: Our industry has seen dramatic changes over the last 10 years. Reusability in launch services was once considered an impossibility, and is now quickly becoming expected of new launch vehicles. Competition has increased, which has driven costs down. It will be very interesting to see who can survive (besides SpaceX).
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VIA SATELLITE: What will be the main topics/trends at this year’s SATELLITE?
Shotwell: Increased competition in the telecom market, and small satellites as a key market demographic, with new opportunities being developed to serve this audience.
VIA SATELLITE: Is the lack of GEO satellite orders a permanent, terminal decline?
Shotwell: We’ve seen a bit of a lull as folks are assessing available technologies and how they’ll accelerate going forward. The small satellite market has experienced impressive growth, and there have been exciting new developments in commercial markets around human spaceflight, SAR, lunar missions, RF monitoring, and combinations of technology to combat global problems such as illegal fishing.
VIA SATELLITE: Will LEO operators be successful, or are we returning to the boom and bust of the late 1990s?
Shotwell: There have been transformational changes in the cost structure of both space launch and satellite technology. These changes create a very compelling new business case for the use of satellites.
VIA SATELLITE: What do you hope to get out of SATELLITE 2019?
Shotwell: Satellite is one of our best opportunities to connect in person with our customer base from across the globe. At SATELLITE, we get deeper insight into how our customers’ needs are changing, which helps us ensure our business can continue to be nimble and support those changing needs. VS
